When you're an "evil" person, what non-evil term do you use to describe yourself?

[shilsen]

Depends on the type of character, so there's no hard and fast rule. And if the character happens to be a cleric then he likely knows that he's evil (since he can cast the alignment detection spells and has a number that affect creatures with different alignments differently) in alignment already.

 

[Driddle]

Follow-up Question

The followup: How many DMs actually bother to put these kinds of descriptors into their PC spell feedback? ... for example, the lycanthropy-afflicted mayor is driven by an omnipresent desire to taste blood and has no compunctions about eating anything that moves, versus he's evil.

 

[s.j. bagley]

in one word- sassy!

 

[Driddle]

in one word- sassy!

No, I believe the word you're looking for is "PirateCat."

 

[AuraSeer]

So let's say you've got a party of D&D classically defined "evil" characters. Someone in their group casts an alignment revelation spell. ... How do they perceive or interpret the information about themselves?

Some of my gameworld organizations, such as the clerics of certain evil deities, do use the word "evil" to refer to themselves. They just don't consider it a value judgement. Instead, it's only a marker of which team they're on. They're exactly as comfortable being called "the forces of Evil" as they would being called "the red team" or "the guys in black armor."

If you asked such a cleric about good and evil, he'd give you an explanation about semantics and stolen words, and how the overculture has perverted the meaning of the word "evil." He'll tell you that the majority deities, the "good" ones, have convinced people that "evil" is bad and harmful, when in fact it's just a minority point of view.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Some of my gameworld organizations, such as the clerics of certain evil deities, do use the word "evil" to refer to themselves. They just don't consider it a value judgement. Instead, it's only a marker of which team they're on. They're exactly as comfortable being called "the forces of Evil" as they would being called "the red team" or "the guys in black armor."

If you asked such a cleric about good and evil, he'd give you an explanation about semantics and stolen words, and how the overculture has perverted the meaning of the word "evil." He'll tell you that the majority deities, the "good" ones, have convinced people that "evil" is bad and harmful, when in fact it's just a minority point of view.

So, "evil" is the new "queer"? It's interesting to think about evil people "claiming" the word as their own. I can just imagine an evil pride parade. They could have banners and slogans like:

• Slavery? Or guaranteed employment?
• It's not murder; it's culling the herds
• You didn't need that limb, anyway
• Paladins = thought police
• Father, Brother, PTA member, Dark Overlord

 

[WayneLigon]

My favorite term is from Justice League United. When Grodd puts together a new Secret Society of Super-Villains, aka the Legion of Doom, he constantly refers to them as 'freethinkers'. I like that term.

My favorite totally crazy justification for evil comes from batshit insane Mok in Rock and Rule:
"Evil spelled backward is "live," and we all want to do that, don't we?"

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

I tell people I am a lawyer! Mwa ha ha!

 

[Phlebas]

'I'm not evil, i'm just drawn built that way!"

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Depends on the Lawful-Chaotic axis...

"Bring Order to the Galaxy" - I'd say that could be Lawful Evil. Squashing personal freedoms to bring order out of "Chaos".